In this course in the Healthcare Marketplace specialization you will identify, define, and describe potential business and public policy solutions to the challenges facing society’s growing demand for health services. Students will master a body of knowledge on the health care sectors major components through reading and reflection.
Healthcare has many different cultural components that will be discussed as historic trends as well as future demographic challenges. You will understand diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies as they relate to healthcare. This outcome is particularly critical because of the tradeoffs needed to be assessed as medical technology advances faster than budgets and perhaps cultures are sometimes willing to tolerate.
At the end of the day, you will gain an appreciation for the role of creativity, innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines in the development of new medical care solutions through and examination of the physician, medical technology and financing sub-sectors of the health economy.

From the lesson

EVOLUTION OF THE HEALTHCARE MARKETPLACE

In this module you will learn about the economic history of one of the largest segments of the world’s economy. You will become acquainted with world trends in health and the stakeholders that comprise the healthcare marketplace ranging from physicians to hospitals to insurers and pharmaceutical firms.
The take-away messages from this module are that there are many competing voices in the health economy. Furthermore, many of these voices have growing and evolving economic interests that spill over into all aspects of society.
The skills gained from this module to enable a successful capstone is an appreciation of the role of government and regulation in the making and destruction of markets. One person’s new law may be a huge hindrance but also a giant opportunity for profit from another party. You will be better prepared to distinguish the difference and succeed.